The state government has amended the mining policy to tighten the noose around illegal mining, the Himachal Assembly was informed on Friday during the winter session at Dharamshala.
Replying to a question during Question Hour, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said that strict action will be taken against those involved in illegal mining under the new policy.
He added that the issue of the demarcation dispute with the Punjab government in the Indora area of Kangra district has been raised earlier as well, and the state will take up the matter again with Punjab.
The minister said that due to the demarcation dispute, controlling illegal mining in this region has become difficult.
Several times, people engaged in illegal mining flee to Punjab along with their vehicles, making it tough for the police to take action.
He informed the House that 34 crusher units are operating along the Beas River in Indora, and the government has not approved any new crusher units. Chauhan said that after the changes in the mining policy, revenue has increased steadily.
In 2022-23, royalty collection stood at Rs 241 crore, which rose to Rs 314 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 354 crore in 2024-25.
This year, the government aims to increase mining royalty revenue to Rs 400 crore.
He said illegal mining will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Colonel Dhaniram Shandil, replying to a question by MLA Chandrashekhar, said that construction work on incomplete health institutions will be completed soon, depending on the availability of funds.
He said that 90 per cent of the construction work of Civil Hospital Dharmapur has been completed, while 95 per cent of the work at Civil Hospital Tihra is finished. Construction of the Civil Hospital in Sandhol is 80 per cent complete, whereas only 35 per cent of the work at CHC Mandap has been done.
The minister said that currently, these hospitals have no sanitation workers or attendants, as Class-IV posts are lying vacant. One worker has been engaged on an hourly basis for cleaning duties. X-ray machines have been installed at Civil Hospitals Sandhol and Dharmapur, but Dharmapur’s X-ray machine is not functioning. Repair work is underway and will be completed soon.
Intervening in the discussion, the Chief Minister said that the concerns raised regarding X-ray and other machines will be addressed, and new X-ray machines will be installed soon wherever required.